Why are so many Horses stolen on loan

[Smoky 2022]

I have noticed there has been a lot of Facebook post of horses sold on loan. Are people not just doing proper background checks on the people who are going to be loaning there horses especially when the horse moves to a different yard. I have noticed most of these people don’t have any contracts. unfortunately the horses are never found I say a lot of them are sold to Europe .

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

Puzzling isn't it. I put my old boy on loan to a numpty girl who I thought was OK and as she was keeping him at a riding school I hoped at least he'd be well cared for. He wasn't. They put him out without his sweet-itch rug on the first weekend he was there and he'd rubbed himself raw. Girl apparently paid diddly-squat for his livery from day one and then only five weeks into the "loan" decided she wanted out of it. The YO then came on me for the "fees". I told him to jog on. But I guess I was lucky, she could easily have sold him on to get some money in her greedy little hand and scooped the money from it............ but then during that period I did stipulate that I would be passing the gate and keeping an eye - and even though the yard was three-quarters-of-an-hour away from me I did do just this.

 

[Highmileagecob]

We have four horses on loan at my yard, and the owners have never been near. Luckily, the horses are all cherished and well cared for, but I don't understand the owners, who appear to have given the horses away - perhaps this is why loans get sold, the terms of the casual loan are very blurred.

 

[ihatework]

I’m not sure lots are.
I think you just see the small minority that are which makes it appear widespread when really it isn’t.

Issues, including ‘theft’ for horses on loan, 9/10 IMO boil down to poor management by the owner - be that contracting/communication/oversight and ability to step in and remove a horse immediately.

 

[J&S]

When i first came to Devon I had my horse nearby at a private yard. non horsey owner had rented his largest field to a woman with many horses and ponies, possibly 20 +. It turned out all these were loans that she was selling on! I think the plan was to ship en masse to France but at some point she was found out. There was much publicity around this and I assume all of the horses were returned to owners or .........

 

[ycbm]

Horses get sold when on loan because the owners don't, for whatever reason (some valid, some less so), keep contact with them.

 

[sunnyone]

I wonder whether it's because so many people borrow things and never give them back.?.Thus having a pony on loan is just another borrowed item not to be returned, but since they have a cash value the loaner tries to sell it on when they no longer want it.
Having to send a passport with a horse just reinforces that concept of ownership. Personally I'd only hand my passports to a yard owner and only give a loaner a photocopy. Tough if that's not legal. My pony, not given away.

 

[throwawayaccount]

Because some people are scumbags & have no qualms.

i have full loaned my horse out once before, the people seemed competent to my face and others recommendations but the red flags surfaced once they got him. he was near enough emancipated within a short period of time so I brought him home. He never had a loaner again, apart from a teenage girl who rode him twice a week and looked after him well.

similarly my new horse was on full loan to me- I ended up buying him, but never again; full loans are stressful in my experience & I am wary for others because of the horror stories you always here.


I’m sure there are some good stories out there but it’s not for me.